1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a water-resistant slide fastener for use on an article such as a ski wear or a sports bag requiring protection against entrance of rain, sleet or snow, and a method of manufacturing such a water-resistance slide fastener.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Slide fasteners for use on outer garments and other articles designed for outdoor activities do not require a high degree of resistance against penetration of water. There has been a demand for such water-resistant slide fasteners that are relatively simple in construction, can be mass-produced, and are inexpensive to manufacture.
One known water-resistant slide fastener is manufactured, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,501,816, by affixing a row of coupling elements to a slide fastener stringer tape, and then coating a sealing material on the elements and the stringer tape with a coating device. The conventional method is disadvantageous in that the manufacturing process is complex, needs to be implemented by a large-scale apparatus, and fails to achieve satisfactory product quality and cost as products tend to be defective due to uneven coating of the sealing material. The slide fasteners manufactured by the prior process have the danger of forming a gap between seals when the stringer tape is subjected to a large transverse pull.